For Immediate Release PR Contact:
March 16, 2015 312.665.7100
Field Museum Travels to China for Latest Permanent Exhibition
Unprecedented Exhibition Explores 5,000 Years of Chinese History
CHICAGO – China is now one of the world’s great economic, political, and cultural powerhouses. But its current prominence has deep historical roots. China’s long-standing and diverse cultural traditions extend back more than 5,000 years, providing the foundation for today’s modern nation. The Field Museum’s engaging new permanent exhibition, the Cyrus Tang Hall of China, explores this foundation and introduces visitors to Chinese history and culture, from before Neolithic times to the present.
The Museum’s curatorial expertise—coupled with its extensive collections—offers a unique perspective on the cultural traditions that underscore contemporary China. When it opens to the public on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, China will be the only major, permanent exhibition in the United States to examine Chinese culture and history from an anthropological viewpoint.
Gary Feinman, PhD, the Museum’s East Asian Anthropology curator, explains, “While art museums typically highlight the aesthetic and contextual qualities of specific objects, the Cyrus Tang Hall of China will tell the stories of the people who used them, the traditions they forged, and the legacies of that history that underlays and helps us understand the present.”
Drawing from a collection of over 33,000 archaeological, historical, and ethnographic artifacts, the curatorial team has assembled 350 stellar objects for display within China’s five galleries. Exhibited are an astounding variety of items, including Neolithic pottery and jades, Shang and Zhou Dynasty bronzes, Han and Tang Dynasty burial objects, Song and Ming Dynasty ceramics, Buddhist and Daoist sculptures from multiple periods, and exquisite rubbings, textiles, and paintings. Dozens of experts from across the globe were consulted, providing insights into these objects.
In a first for the Museum, China enables visitors to create their own experience throughout the exhibition. Touchscreen interactive labels allow visitors to choose from an array of stories about each object, based on visitors’ interests. Visual media also enhances the visitor experience—one highlight is a video presentation of a Chinese shadow puppet performance. Filmed from both the viewer and the backstage perspectives, visitors can appreciate the artistry from either side of the screen.
The organization of the exhibition combines a thematic and chronological approach. Curators structured China’s five galleries around particular themes, ranging from the country’s diverse landscapes to political systems to traditional beliefs and practices.
Highlights in China include a 27-foot-long hand scroll painting detailing a panorama of life along a riverside city during spring, objects used by students and scholars, statues of temple guardians, a divination text in the rare Naxi language, and masks from the Museum’s rich Chinese theater collection.
Dr. Berthold Laufer, first Curator of Asian Anthropology at The Field from 1908 to 1934, led two major expeditions to China in the early 20th century, and his acquisitions form the core of the Museum’s Chinese collections. Acquiring close to 19,000 archaeological, historical, and folk objects—which span from the Neolithic period to the early 1900s—Laufer held a great appreciation for Chinese culture and history. The objects he collected cover diverse aspects of Chinese religion, arts, and daily life across different geographical regions and classes—themes which are presented in China.
In addition to the Laufer collection, China also showcases the Museum’s spectacular collection of materials from the Java Sea Shipwreck, highlighting the exchange of ideas and goods through trade. The artifacts were excavated from the wreck of a 12th–13th century trading vessel. The surviving cargo and personal effects of its crew point to the complex trade relationships between China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
China wraps up in the “East Garden,” a contemplative space where visitors can relax after viewing the exhibition. Inspired by Chinese rock gardens, the space has a contemporary feel with strong connections to nature and classic Chinese aesthetics. Eight spirit stones—donated to the Museum by the Municipal Government of Suzhou, China—serve as the centerpiece for the East Garden. In traditional Chinese gardens, spirit stones often resemble mountains and inspire visions of idealized landscapes.
As part of the creation of the new China exhibition, the current display of 800 Tibetan artifacts at The Field will be renamed the Cyrus Tang Hall of China Tibetan Gallery.
Tickets to Cyrus Tang Hall of China will be included in the Museum’s Discovery and All-Access ticket packages. Visit fieldmuseum.org for more information.